


Return of the Knight

by QueenofAngstandSin



Category: Deltarune (Video Game)
Genre: Character Development, Kris Is Not Okay, Maybe - Freeform, Other, Sickness, Temporary Character Death, The soul is the player, coughing up blood, i guess?, it's complicated - Freeform, someone save them, soul bonds, the knight is here to fuck shit up, the player isn't Kris
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-16
Updated: 2019-10-22
Packaged: 2020-01-15 03:16:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18490210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenofAngstandSin/pseuds/QueenofAngstandSin
Summary: Kris knew they and Susie weren't done with the Dark World- not by a long shot. And the moment they ripped that alien SOUL out of their body, they knew they had to go back. Ralsei would know why it possessed them, right?But a certain knight returns to the Dark World, and when he sees Ralsei, Kris, Lancer and Susie, he thinks he's found a new toy.Meanwhile Seam is getting endlessly annoyed by a certain Jester. He's not sure what compelled him to start visiting his old friend, but Jevil claims that this time they can be the heroes-all he has to do is let him out.With the Knight back, Ralsei, Kris, Lancer and Susie struggling to fight, Kris getting weaker and weaker, and the balance between light and dark getting more and more imbalanced, our heroes need to make a choice of who to trust. Sacrifices will be made, bridges will be rebuilt, and the apathetic shopkeeper who'd rather see the world burn in being thrown into the middle of it.





	1. Return to the Dark World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kris and Susie go back to the Dark World for the weekend.

        They stared at the red soul that now hid in the corner of the cage. It seemed to stare up at them, seemingly afraid. They huffed, kneeling down, knife gripped tightly in one hand. "What am I going to do with you?" They tilted their head as the SOUL tried to curl into itself. They sighed, pinching the bridge of their nose. "Who are you?"

        Nothing. Kris wasn't sure why they expected it to respond to them. Even when it was inside them it never spoke. They sighed, curling their fingers around the bars. "Is their anyone who can talk to you?"

        It edged forward, pressing against them and for a moment Kris was thrown back into the Dark World, a friendly, black-furred face smiling nervously and adjusting the hat on his head. When the moment was over, the soul was back in the corner. "I'll tell you what. I won't harm you." The knife disappeared from Kris's hand. "After school, I'll come get you and take you to the Dark World with me and Susie. It's Friday so I can tell Mom that I'm staying with her for the weekend to do our project."

        Kris walked back over to their bed, climbing under the covers. Maybe the soul came from the Dark World. They felt the lack of control all morning before then, but it was mainly what they would have chosen so they didn't question it. But the soul wasn't a pacifist, and it took Kris stabbing themself and forcing it to reset to make it stop attacking. The King was the only one they could think of who would actively attack other Dark World inhabitants.

        Sighing, they let themself fall asleep, watching the dull glow of the soul.

  


        School was hell the next day.

        Kris was breathless, and borderline sick. The only thing keeping Alphys from sending them home was the overprotective way Susie acted. Toriel, thankfully, was out shopping, and had given them permission to stay over at "Susie's Place" for the weekend.

        Returning to their room, their symptoms disappeared and the soul seemed to perk up. It'd been dull and pulsing weakly when they first entered, getting stronger when they got close.  _Are we linked somehow?_  Kris dropped their school backpack in the wagon before heading to their bed, pulling out a bag and starting to pack spare clothes and pajamas.

        They jolted as their phone rang, scrambling to pull it out and answer. "Hello?"

        "Kris,  _where the hell are you!?_ "

        "Sorry Susie. I'll be there soon. Just had to get something..."

        "Right, we're staying all weekend. Dunno why." She muttered the last part under her breath.

        "Yeah, uh. Needed Ralsei to check something for me. I-I'll explain when we get there just please don't freak out."

        "What? Why? What is it?"

        "You'll see..."

  


        The birdcage got them a lot of weird looks on their way back to the school. Especially when Susie saw it, and more specifically, what was inside it.

        "Kris."

        "Susie you said you wouldn't freak out!"

        "I never said that!" She gripped her hair. "Kris what the _fuck_!? Is it yours!?"

        "No." Kris looked at the soul, which had curled up in the corner and now seemed to watch them. "I ripped it out last night. It's been possessing me."

        "ARE YOU-" Kris slapped a hand over her mouth. "Sh! Some students could still be around, do you have any idea how bad it'll be if someone else finds out about this!?"

        Susie pulled their hand away. "Alright! I get it, I get it. They'd freak out. So you think Ralsei knows about this?"

        "When I asked it, it touched my hand and I thought of Ralsei. He knew about the prophecy, so surely he might know about souls? It should be pretty basic information."

        Susie paused. "I suppose that makes sense." Sighing, she turned to the doors. "...well....let's go."

        Kris glanced back at the soul, before stepping into the dark closest after her. The soul gave off a dull glow, but once the doors were closed it wasn't bright enough to stop the trip to the Dark World.

        Bracing themself, Kris felt the floor give out under them. 

  


        Landing still hurt.

        They weren't used to the fall yet, weren't used to the sudden stop. It couldn't kill them, it didn't break any bones or anything, but it still hurt. It could still knock them out a few minutes.

        They groaned, sitting up. "Shit. Shit that hurts." They glanced over at the wagon, which, miraculously, was fine. Only it wasn't a wagon, it was now a cart, the birdcage inside a regular cage and the backpack and bag now satchels. Kris frowned, kneeling by it. "Are you okay?"

        The soul floated up to meet them, seemingly unhurt. "Good." Kris grabbed the handle. "C'mon, Susie can't be far."

        "KRIS!"

        Kris was nearly tackled by the bigger monster, the breath knocked out of them. "Don't you fucking dare do that to me again! You weren't moving and I couldn't tell if you were breathing, you absolute asshole!"

        They wheezed. "Sorry, Suz. Please don't suffocate me, though."

        Susie let Kris go, watching them double over and wheeze. "Holy shit. Remind me to never worry you again. Come on, let's go find Ralsei. He'll know what to do about our _friend._ "


	2. The Player

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Fun Gang take a visit to Seam's Seap for some information.

        Ralsei put the batter into the oven, setting a timer before closing it and taking off his gloves.  "Alright, it should be done before Lancer and Rouxls Kaard get here.

        His ears perked, hearing a knock at the door. "...or not." Ralsei sighed, leaving the kitchen and heading to the door. "Lancer, I told you we're meeting at-"

        "Not Lancer." A muffled voice said, pushing the doors open. There stood Susie and Kris, two of the heroes of the prophecy, and his first friends. "Hey, toothpaste boy." Ignoring the teasing, Ralsei grinned, tackling his friends. "Kris! Susie! You came back!"

        Kris wheezed. "Not again- Ralsei, suffocating-"

        "O-oh, sorry!" He let go, not really wanting to, but not wanting to suffocate Kris. "W-what brings you guys back so soon? Not that I'm complaining!"

        "We have a...situation." Kris turned around, and Ralsei now noticed that they had been pulling a cart behind them. Their fingers curled around the bars of a cage and they turned back around.

        All the blood drained from his body.

        Sitting in the cage was a red soul, glowing a bit brighter now that it was allowed to be noticed. He walked towards it, almost on instinct. "May I?"

        Kris gave him a weird look before handing over the cage. Ralsei turned, walking deeper into the castle. "Come with me, quickly. I want an explanation." His fur was bristling under his cloak, muscles tense. Was it Kris's? He doubted it, in all honesty. The only change he saw was that they were being a bit more talkative.

        "Ralsei! Not so fast!" Kris wheezed. He turned, realizing they had lagged behind and were having a problem breathing. He looked down at the soul, seeing it had dulled and was flickering weakly. He stopped, taking a deep breath and casting a spell.

        The moment he did, Kris's soul appeared, what looked almost like a string trailing from the caged soul to Kris's own. "They're tied." He muttered. "That's a problem."

        "What? What does that mean?" Susie reached for the string. "Can't we just cut it?"

        "DON'T TOUCH IT-"

        Too late. The soul suddenly sent out a viscous attack, easily knocking him down to less than half HP and Susie exactly half(he realized this after a quick check). The soul curled in on itself, preparing itself for another attack if Susie tried to touch it again. "Hey, hey," His hands glowed gently as he opened the cage. "Ralsei,  _what are you doing_!?"

        "Shush a minute, Susie. It's scared."

        "IT'S SCARED!? THIS THING NEARLY KILLED-" Kris cut Susie off as all three felt the soul start charging itself for another attack. Ralsei sung gently, reaching for it as he cast his pacify spell. It wasn't tired, but the spell was enough to calm it down and prevent it from attacking again. Carefully he cupped it in his paws, pulling it out. "There we are, you're not that bad, are you? Just afraid." He looked at Susie. "Connections like these sometimes are done to keep one or both parties alive. I think, Seam or Rouxls Kaard might know a bit more about it."

        "Can you talk to it? Like, communicate? That's one reason we came."

        "Yeah, I think I might have a spell. Help Kris and follow me."

 

        He'd put the soul back into the cage and left it with Kris and Susie while he grabbed a few spellbooks. He really just hoped Susie didn't scare it again, he didn't need it to lash out again.  _I need to try and get Seam to come, he should know a bit more about this kinda stuff. Maybe. He probably just wouldn't care_. Seam would rather watch the world burn than help someone with magic or souls. Actually he'd rather see the world burn than do anything. Seam really didn't care about anything anymore.

        Reaching up, the prince grabbed a spellbook, flipping through it.

        It was then he heard the door open, Lancer yell excitedly and Rouxls Kaard shriek.

         _Oh no._

Grabbing as many spellbooks as he could carry, he rushed out before the soul could be further frightened and attack again.

        Rouxls Kaard had prepared an attack of his own, Susie trying to block him. He was yelling about the danger and power it gave off, and he saw the soul preparing it's own attack.

        He quickly interfered, dropping the books and scooping up the cage. "That's enough! You're scaring the poor thing!"

        "Thou art DEFENDING it? Can thou not see-"

        "Yes I do." Ralsei cut him off. "Lancer, can you hold it a moment while I find a proper spell?"

        "For what?" Instead of taking the cage, Lancer, to Susie and Rouxls's protests, opened it, taking the soul. "What're ya gonna do?"

        "Destroy it I hopest." Rouxls muttered.

        "Talk to it." He glared at him, flipping through the spellbook. "That's why Kris brought it here. It's just-"

        "It is not a regular soul. This is a very  powerful being." Rouxls scoffed, kneeling down to peer at it. The soul flinched, getting closer to Lancer. "Something as powerful as The Knight, perhaps even more so. Seam would be the only one who knows what to do about it."

        "Are you sure? I checked its HP and it seems hurt." Ralsei frowned. How could something so powerful be hurt so easily? 

        "He'll know. Let's go."

        " _Wait!_ I need to take out the cake first!"

 

        Seam leaned back in his chair, sighing as he stared at the key.

        He'd shattered this key long ago, and the heroes had repaired it. But instead of fighting him, they'd smartly decided not to and returned the key. That fluffy child...Ralsei...had told him Jevil seemed lonely and maybe he should visit.

        Yeah that was a bad idea. Jevil was just as mad as he'd last seen him. But there was...an air of seriousness.

         _"The knight...the knight....he's coming...coming." A chill went down Seam's spine. "Why not let me in? We can stop him together." Jevil's grin seemed almost forced, and Seam could see hatred shining in his dark eyes._

        Jevil was never so angry or hateful like that. The Knight was the only thing that could rile him up. Despite acting like a child, and seeming to be the embodiment of chaos, he was usually very calm and calculated when he wasn't in one of his chaotic moods. He was intelligent, which was why Jevil could match him so well in the games they used to play. 

        "Excuse me, Seam?"

        Seam sighed at Ralsei's voice.

        " _Seam._  It's pronounced as  _Shawm..._ " He turned, seeing the three heroes, the new king and the duke. "I'll forgive you this time, what pleasure do I owe the _Heroes_?"

        Kris stepped forward, Seam's ears perking as he noticed the cage they held. Inside was a glowing red soul, one that made his fur stand on end. He could sense the power, see how high its LV was.

        This wasn't a regular soul.

        "Never seen one of these before. Not around here." Seam muttered, walking around the counter to open the cage. "I've heard of them though."

        "What is it?" Rouxls Kaard asked.

        Seam reached in, paws brushing against it as he checked its stats.

        It's health was oddly low, it was wounded, almost sickly. But you wouldn't be able to tell that if you didn't look closer. "This is what you call a Player. They're powerful beings from a universe in which none of us exist. They look down on our worlds, which are just games to them. They take a vessel and put themselves into the story however..." Seam looked at Kris. "Vessels are blank slates. No personality, no soul, no one who existed before the Player comes. Being put into someone with a personality, backstory and their own will can weaken them. Even the smallest touch can wound them badly, despite their high LV."

        "LOVE."

        "No. LV for Players stands for Level. In most worlds they visit, they have no choice but to fight and hurt. Their LV is not Level of Violence, but simple Level. Exp is Experience Points instead of Execution Points. Their stats do not adhere to our own." Seam had now been able to take the Player out of the cage. "This one is a younger Player, it's LV is high but not as high as you'd expect. It was already weak, which is likely how you could take back control. How did you do it?"

        Kris looked almost guilty, looking down. "I ripped it out of my chest last night. I was afraid of it hurting others, I noticed it's LV and saw how high it was. And originally it just...was so aggressive."

        "I can't blame you then. It's injured, but I don't think that's the entire reason. But I don't believe it should be in a cage, it's already frightened and in pain."

        "It's tied to Kris's soul." Ralsei spoke up. "When I revealed it with a spell, and Susie tried to sever it, it attacked. Is the tie because it's injured?"

        "Possibly. A Player has never visited here before, so I get my information from what I've read about them. Books about Players just...showed up in the Seap one day, so I kept them. Didn't ever think I'd actually need the information." He laughed a bit. "But this...isn't natural for them. They shouldn't be outside a vessel, a true vessel. It....affects them negatively."

        "Can thou communicate with it?"

        "I can try. Come with me."

        Handing the Player back to Kris, he turned, leading them deeper into his home.

        They had much to discuss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here we get some important information  
> -This is a younger player, one who is more of a "Murder Hobo". They have played Undertale, but heard this game was different and assumed that this was just another game where they had to fight everything.  
> -It does have higher LV, maybe about 10-20 range. It doesn't play many extremely violent games, and instead more of play children's games, though. So it's LV isn't as high as someone who goes full genocide.  
> -LV and EXP are not the same for Players as for actual members of the Deltarune universe.  
> -This Player's experiences with the game, should they come up, will likely reflect mine. Only I'm not a murder hobo. Them not fighting Jevil reflects the fact that, while I think I have all the pieces, I haven't done it either yet.  
> -Only Seam, and maybe Jevil and King Spade, have the slightest clue what a Player is. Others can see how powerful it is, even if this one is younger, because of it's ability to change fate. That's how Rouxls Kaard knew it was a "Powerful Being".  
> -Seam isn't completely correct. Players CAN possess vessels with personalities, backstories, etc. It's just harder. But it'll be revealed soon that it wasn't a willing possession. Just keep the opening of the game in mind.
> 
> Rouxls Kaard is a hard character to nail, so forgive me if I struggle with the way he speaks.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry this chapter isn't that good. But I wanted it done so I could start getting to the meat of things. I'll add the name of the chapter when I post the next one.


End file.
